How often should I upgrade or replace my website?

Websites are like the fashion industry. Fashion styles change from year to year and season to season. While we at RWS may not be on top of the latest fashion trends, that’s because we’re too busy staying up to date on the latest website trends. A website that looked modern and fresh a few years ago can easily look out of date today.

For instance, one of our long-time clients came to us last year and said they needed an updated look. This was for a moving company, so it’s more of an informational site. They wanted a clean look, and an easy to navigate site that would match the highly professional service they provide for their own clients. Sometimes a site may need a little facelift, but in this case they wanted a new site from scratch, which is what we developed for them.

One important factor in deciding whether your site needs upgrading or replacing is the overall feel of it. Many websites are informational, focusing on ease of use and accuracy. But what if you’re a school? Here’s an example of a website we built for a preschool, where they wanted to convey a fun, playful vibe.

And here’s another website we built for a Montessori school, where vibrancy and playfulness was still a priority, but this time tempered with a bit of formality. These two sites are a great comparison for highlighting how important it is that your website developer understand you, your business, and your mission in order to convey what you stand for through use of photos, colors, typography, and more. These subtle differences make a big difference in user experience.

Other factors that may indicate it’s time for a website upgrade or replacement are:

  • Out-of-date security measures
  • Your site isn’t responsive to different sized screens
  • Low-quality SEO
  • Any of your content is out of date
  • You want to add an online store
  • You don’t have any clear Call to Action
  • Unclear navigation
  • Slow loading times
  • You want to add any kind of integration, such as a newsletter signup

If any of these ring a bell for you, we’d be happy to chat and see how we can make your website reflect who you are today. Whether we built your current site or whether someone else (or you!) did, we can upgrade your current site or build you a new one to reflect the latest and most effective website trends. Call us today. 202-409-8113